Postal sheet



April 9, 1929.

1.. P. HAZEN rosin. smssr Filed Nov. 14, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Cincinnati April 9, 1929. P, AZE 1,708,574

rosun shunt F e NOV- 14, 1925 2 Shoots-Sheet 2 a STATE Oh o 'TY Cincinnati STRE 0154 a. W": 3.1-. a NAM scwco. l l A l8 4/+ v 16 E 7 a 6' 10 4; e+ v r I 64 A a c I I I (I l6.

Patented Apr. 9, 1929.

PATENT OFFICE.

LEVI PARKER HAZEN, 0F CINCINNATI, OHIO.

POSTAL SHEET.

Application filed November 14, 1925. Serial No. 69,138.

This invention hasv relation to economical and convenient foldable sheets of paper or like flexible material or stock for writing upon and for use without an envelope or other separate closure being necessary in sending or transmitting written or printed matter by mail or otherwise between the sender and receiver, and the particular form or structure of the invention herein will be fully hereinafter described in detail and then more clearly pointed out in the claim that follows.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawin s Figure 1 is a plan view of theinner or message face of the improved postal-sheet, showing .it outspread or extended ready for'the written or printed use and containing a pair of foldable integrally-connected parallel sheet-members extended likewise, integrally, from a parallel flap-member, the latter being of the same contour as that of the said pair of foldable sheet-members and showing the manner in which its central part is slitted to form an opening or sight for the display of the addressees name and address, and still further showing an elongated opening in one corner for the exposure of the sender s name and address forreturn-purposes as in the ordinary printing of envelops for mailing; Fig. 2, a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the manner in which the said flap-member is provided with a transparent sheet on its inner face to cover said sending and return address-openings and, also, showing how the middle slitted center of said flap-member is folded over laterally in opposite directions and the minor flaps thus resulting being held or stretched back by the said transparent sheet; Fig. 3, a plan view of the reverse side of the postal-sheet seen in Fig. 2, but inverted, and showing the manner of addressing and otherwise marking same; Fi front view of the device in closed mailing or delivering condition, and showing, however, the auxiliary removable end (to the right) in the act or process of being torn off for access to the interior reading vor display matter; F ig, 5, a transverse section of the closed device, tak on the line 5 5, of Fig. 4; Fig. "6, a perspective view of the device with the foldable members in partially unfolded relation,

before use; Fig. 7, a plan view, similar to Fig. 1, showing the open address-slot and its inner transparent covering-sheet, and, also, showing an additional foldable, panel letter or postal member or writing stri that can be continued at will or indefinitely to suit the purpose of the users of the stationery; Fig. 8, a plan view that is of the reverse side of the device seen in Fig. 7 and inverted Fig. 9, a face view of the closed device showing it ready for mailing or other delivery; Fig. 10, a transverse section of the closed device seen in Fig. 9; and Fig. 11, a cross-section of the closed device seen in Fig. 9.

In these views, like letters and numerals refer to like parts and will be enumerated as follows In Fig. 1 I have shown a rectangular paper postal-sheet made up of three integral foldable divisions or component plane-member's A, B and G, the member A being the innermost one, the member being the middle one and the member C being the outermost one that is intended as the closing-member or sealing-flap.

Dotted-lines D and E appear on the drawing in said Figs. 1 and 2 to show the assumed parallel lines on which two folds are made across the paper sheet for the closing of same when the surface thereof, seen in both Figs. 1 and 2, has been either Written or printed on for use. The opposite ends of said component or constituent plane-members A, B and C are extended into narrow margins a, a; b, b and c, 0, respectively, such margins being fra'ngibly or removably held in place along the perforated lines d and e that are made parallel to the opposite side-edges of the postal-sheet. It will be noted that the inner faces of the frangibly-extended ends 5 and 0 and the inner face of the frangibly-extended outer or fore edge 7' of the final closure or sealing member C are gumme'd'or coated with an adhesive for final-sealing purposes along those lines. It will also be noted that a line of perforations g is made parallel to the said outer edge of the said closure-member C to provide the removable frangibly-extended scaling-margin of the latter that is gummed, as above stated.

The middle portion of the said closuremember C is slitted so as to produce the flaps 12, 12, along the center line 13, such flaps herein when in completed and sealed condition, as seen in Fig. 4.

A transparent sheet 16 is stuck or affixed in place on the inner face of the main or bodyportion of the closure-member C, as best seen in Fig. 2, for covering the said sight-opening 15 and at the same time setting and securing said flaps 12, 12, in extended place.

Conspicuously printed or written matter is intended to be used on the exposed face of the .said flaps 1 2, 12, such, for instance, as the data concerning protection by patent or the like, or the name or symbol of a trade-mark,

c said outer backer outer face of middle member B can or other desirable and more or less valuble insignia bearing on the business or calling of the sender of the postal-sheet. Besides, I further prefer to cut an elongated opening 17 in the lower left-hand corner of the said closure-member C (Figs. 1 and 2) that is covered on the inner side of the latter by the transparent sheet 16 and serves the somewhat desirable purpose of viewing (Fig. 4) the return-address of the. said sender which is printed, as shown in Fig. 3 and best indicated at 18 in the upper left-hand corner. of the outer face of the said innermost-member A of the unfolded postal-sheet in its initial state ready for use. In the elongated figure or rectangle 19, Fig. 3, I show how the addressees name is written in the proper place for viewing-alignment with the said sightopening 15 when the members A, B and C have been folded into their closed condition, ready for mailing or other delivery, as seen in Fig. 4. The message is written on the inner faces of the said constituent members 'A and B, below the fold-line E, and it is obvious that the business letter-head of the sender can be printed or otherwise impressed on the inner'face of the said member B commensurately or symmerti'cally below the said fold-line E and just preceding the messagespace. Important or other surplus data that there is no room for on the inner faces of the members A andB of the postal-sheet can be written in the unused space on the outer face of member A provided they are not conflicting with the rectangles or spaces allotted tothe sending and return addresses noted on ace of member Ain Fig. 3. The

. be utilized for advertising or other information purposes. g

In using the postal-sheet seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, after the message is written on the indetachable fore-end extension f are then moistened, to be immediately followed by the folding of the member A on the assumed line D and finally followed by the folding of the closure-member C on the assumed line E for laying flatly in sealed place on the outer faceofsaidmemberA. Thecompletelyclosed and sealed device containing my invention herein is now ready for delivery to the addressee, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, wherein, at its right-hand end the upper end of its detachable sealing-extension is in the process of tearing-off removal for access to the interior of the postal-sheet, whose opposite detachable sealed-extension as well as the gummed margin f must also be removed before the entire sheet can be spread out before the recipient for disclosure of its written messagecontents. It will be here particularly noted that the gummed fore-end margin 7 of the postal-sheet member C is the only removable longitudinal part of the sheet and a knife blade, pencil-point, or the like is inserted at one end or the other of the line of perforations 9 so as to readily runalong that line and thereby release the member-C-proper from closed and sealed place on the just previously full-closed postal-sheet.

It will also be noted that the outer face of each of the detachable-extensions of the closure-member C is adapted to receive such wording as Remove this end or the like, to plainly indicate to the addressee how to readily open the device for disclosure of its written or printed inner contents.

In case the device is to 'be used for circular or low-rate post advertising-matter and so that such inner contents can be readily seen and inspected when desired, I omit gumming the opposite detachable-extensions b, b, of the middle-member B, the same as originally so of the extensions or margins a, a, of the first foldable-member A and then, when the device has been finally closed and sealed along the detachable-extensions 0, a, and f of the closure-member C, the inspection can be effected by simply inserting the fingers in the space now existing between the said opposite detachable-extensions of the members A and B thatare in intimate cont-act or flatly-folded condition for mailing or other delivery.

Instead of separately printing the returnaddress and, also, the addressees name and destination on the back of the member A of the postal-sheet and, in order to otherwise expedite and simplify the addressing of the sheet preparatory to mailing, I insert a carbon transfer-sheet between the members A and B after first folding the member A onto the back of member B; then the said returnaddress and addressees address are written on the inner face of the middle member B in conventional place above the beginning of the letter or message, all this while the said carbon transfer-sheet is lying between the backto-back members A and B, whereby the transfer-impressions are made on the said back of member B of said returnaddress and addresseesaddress in their respective positions that will properly alignwith the relative or corresponding positions of the display-windows or sight-openings 17 and 15 in the closure-member C when the entire device is closed, after member A has been restored to normal, open or spread-out position in relation to the middle member B and so that the letter itself can be continued in the space below on the inner faces of members A and B. hen the letter is finished and the moistening of the gummed edges efi'ected, the member A is folded inwardly into contact with the in: ner face'of member B and the closure-member C is then folded onto the outer face of member C, as displayed in the process of closing the device in Fig. 6. It will thus be seen that the carbon-impressions of the return-address and addressees address will appear in their respective sight-openings of the closure-member C and the original written addresses will appear on the letter itself where they ought to be for the sake of real typographical conformity with the letter.

As it is quite obvious that still more of the foldable members or message-parts of the main postal-sheet can be written in its longer or larger scope I will now refer briefly to the postal-sheet seen in Figs. 7, '8, 9, 10 and 11' of the drawings. Members A, B and C are practically the same as those seen in the views on Sheet 1 of said drawings, excepting that the return-address sight-opening is omitted; the main addressee sight-opening 15 is madewithout the inner flap-extensions 12, 12; the full return-address is printed or displayed on the upper left-hand corner of the closure-member O; and a long, narrow transparent strip 16 (seen in Fig. 7) is used at the back of the said addressee sight-opening 15 instead of the in Fig. 2. An additional integral or con stituent message-member F is shown beyond the assumed fold-line k that was previously the lower edge of the first message-member A of the postal-sheet seen on Sheet 1. This supplementary member F has detachable end-extensions f f and otherwise is like unto the immediately preceding member A, except that its back is not used for the several addresses seen in Fig. 3 on the back of member A and where the addressees address of such addresses still remains. The return-address is shown in Fig. 8 as being printed on the upper left-hand corner of the closure-member C and it is also so shown in 9 in the completed form of the device that is'closed full-length broad one 16 seen C ready for delivery. In closing the extended or enlarged sheet seen in Figs. 8 and 9 the lower message-member F is first folded with its inner, written-face into juxtaposition or contact with the inner written-face of the message-member A and then this double-fold is turned or folded into contact with the inner face of the next preceding message-member B and, finally, this now triple-fold is turned or folded into contact with the inner face of the closure-member C, whereby the addressees name and destination appear in proper alignment with the elongated sightopening or window 15, back of the transparent pane or filler 16 It is quite obvious, too that a return-address opening or sight (not shown) can be used in the upper left-hand corner of the closure-member O of the device seen on Sheet 2 of the drawings, the same as on Sheet 1, and the full-size transparent inner sheet used as a complete lining or panelbacking for both sights 15 and 17. The postal-sheet shown on Sheet 2 can be used for printed advertising and circular purposes the same as the one shown on Sheet 1, and the gummed parts of the back of messagemember B omitted so as'to duly provide for or facilitate inspection of the surface within.

It will be readily understood that this device is in no sense an envelop, nor a combined envelop and letter-sheet, but it is purely and simply a postal-sheet that may be supplied with or without a sight-opening in its front face for the display-address of the addressee, and it may be folded on wider or closer lines to suit the purpose of the letter or circular matter contained on its concealable inner or outer faces.

In the event no sight-opening is present in the device, a carbon transfer-sheet is placed between the member 0 and its next member after the fold has been made backwardly on the line E so as to bring the face of member C in contact with the back of member B; then the address of the sendee is written in its proper place on the inner face of the said member B, the carbon-sheet transferring the impression on the outer face of said member such transferred impression being thus exactly like that at the head of the letter that is used in its delivery. The making of the postal-sheet herein is thus greatly simplified and cheapened when no sight-opening is required and the carbon-copy of the entire letter that is usually kept by the sender will prove a record of just how the letter was addressed in the event of its going astray or delayed.

It will be observed that there is no waste in the making of the postal-sheet herein except that incurred in the cutting out of the return-address opening or sight 17 that is certainly very trifling and remote.

The placing or imprinting of the postagestamp on the face of the closure-member C is shown in a number of the plan views of the drawings and will need no further or other detail description.

I claim:

As an article of manufacture, a fold-able blank for a mailing device having a windowopening' that is provided with foldable reinforce flaps extending laterally from its 0pposite ends and a transparent backing-sheet provided for the said window-opening and adapted to be secured over the said flaps that are folded back from the said window-opening on the inner face of the blank, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

LEVI PARKER HAZEN. 

